Airborne Operations and Mechanics

Images of military personnel engaged in airborne operations and aircraft mechanics, reflecting the logistical aspects of military air operations during wartime.

F-5 Photo reconnaissance plane crashed and burned on take-off. Structural failure of the nose wheel caused the crash. The pilot escaped although the plane completely burned. The pilot was 1st Lt. Harold J. Ash, Photo Reconnaissance Squadron.

Airborne officers check final loading of Troop Carrier towed glider. Gliders like this carried unnumbered Divisions of Infantry fighters with complete field equipment into France. Nose of glider is lifted open for loading.

Machinists Mate 1/c Elmer S. Hilpert of Riverside, California, stands guard at the front gate of the Seebee's encampment of the 40th Construction Battalion on Los Negros, Admiralty Islands.

Mechanics Use An Outboard Jack To Lift A Consolidated B-24 Which Crashed On The Runway At Kunming, China, 2 December 1943, Due To Failure Of The Landing Gear. The Plane, Used As A Transport Flying The 'Hump', Was Carrying Gas In A Bomb Bay Tank On One Si

Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto -- Left Side Of The Japanese Baka Plane Showing The Pilots Position. The Insignia That Appears On The Nose Of The Ship Is That Of The Cherry Blossom Unit Of The Kamikaza Or Suicide Squadron. Baka Is The Recognition Code Name For The Shi

F-5 Photo reconnaissance plane crashed and burned on take-off. Structural failure of the nose wheel caused the crash. The pilot escaped although the plane completely burned. The pilot was 1st Lt. Harold J. Ash, Photo Reconnaissance Squadron.

BACK FROM BRUNSWICK---The Eighth AAF Flying ofrtress "F for Frenesi," piloted by Lt. Cely, with his crew, including three wounded gunners, returned to its base "just a series of holes held together by some metal" after dropping its bombs on the

American Soldiers At A 9Th Troop Carrier Command Station Somewhere In England Have Built A Complete Camp From Emptied Glider Crates. The Place Is Called 'Shantytown' And Is Complete With Postoffice, Hospital, Barbership, Recreation Rooms, Etc., Including

Crew Of The Consolidated B-24 'American Beauty' Of The 20Th Mapping Squadron, 6Th Photo Group (Reconnaissance) At A Base Somewhere In The Southwest Pacific Area. They Are, Left To Right: Sgt. Edwin J Anderson, Aerial Photographer Of Bayonne, New Jersey

Italy - Men Of The 15Th Af Service Command Salvage Depot Are Seen Here Removing A Section Of A Wing From A Plane With A Hoist. Every Usable Piece Of Material Is Stripped From Wrecked Planes To Keep Many Other Planes Flying.

Engine Heaters Are Used On A Curtiss P-40 While Men Work On The Plane. The Temperature Was -22 Degrees F At Ladd Field, Alaska. 9 February 1944.

View of an 8,000-ton Italian merchant vessel in the harbor of Aranci, Sardinia, as North American B-25 Mitchell bombers of the U.S. Army Air Forces blasted it with several hits.

Working on a salvaged wing. Left to right. Mr. Fune Min and Mr. Yuh Yim Chi, Chinese ofreman. Mr. Ho Pei Kwei in the background.

Shot of target showing identification panels laid out on the ground. Each target has a different number and different design for their panels.-CHINA

Japaneseanese Aircraft Junkyard. Japanesean, Sept. 1945.

View Of The Interior Cockpit Of The Japanese Baka Plane On Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto Island.

The Charred Body Of A German Pilot Lies In The Wreckage Of His Plane, Possibly An Me-109, That Was Shot Down Near Stolberg, Germany.

Brig. Gen. James B. Newman, Jr., (center, pointing down) of Washington, D.C., Commanding General of the 9th Aviation Engineers, explains how an airborne (midget) bulldozer is used to build and repair airstrips in liberated France.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance,MISCELLANEOUS War

Douglas C-47S Drop Suplies On The 4Th Infantry Division Area In Germany. This Became Necessary When Rains And Early Thaw Made Roads Impassable. The Supplies Consisted Of Rations, Gas, And Ammunition.

Observation Squadron Observation Group. Brig. Gen. R.C. Candee Inspecting Aircraft.

S/Sgt James N. Holland of Meridian, Miss., stands beside the motor of his L-5 plane in which he flies about the battlefront in France carrying small supplies, messages and other odd jobs. In civilian life Sgt. Holland was an accountant.

These Tail Sections Of German Air Force Planes In Germany Are All That Remain Of A Portion Of The Once Powerful Luftwaffe. The 492Nd Air Service Group Of The 9Th Af, Commanded By Lt. Colonel Alan D. Catterall, Of Garden City, Li, N.Y., Is Collecting And

The above photograph shows personnel of an AAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress group in Italy waiting their turn to donate blood in response to a recent call for urgently needed type "O."

Wacs Arrival At 9Th Af Headquarters, Asoct, Sunninghill, Berks, England. 24 May 1944.

Italy - At This Salvage Depot Of The 15Th Af Service Command, Men Prepare To Hoist A Wing That Has Been Salvaged From A Wrecked Plane So That Other Planes Can Be Kept Flying. Left To Right: Sgt. Howard L. Montgomery Of Howard Lake, Mn., Sgt. Edward R. Ke

The Japaneseanese Surrender Envoy Planes Shown Approaching Ie Shima Enroute To Manila With Envoys To Discuss Terms For The Peace. Yank Escort Planes Shown Accompanying The Flight, Are North American B-25S From The 345Th Bomb Group, And Lockeheed P-38 Fighter

Day and night the Seebee's 40th Construction Battalion labored to put the airstrip on Los Negros, Admiralty Islands into shape to accommodate army-navy planes. Here, a diesel caterpillar pulls a 25 sq. yard carryall loaded with coral.

Gasoline being unloaded from a Consolidated B-24 "Georgia Peach". This gas is to be used in fighter planes as they continue to harass the enemy. Nanning, China.

North American P-51 D Canopy.

Lt. William F. Yeager, 3660 West 48th Street, Cleveland, Ohio, Pilot of an AAF B-26 Marauder, is presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross by Lt. Col. Eugene Fletcher, group commander. The award was made "for extraordinary achievement while

"YOU ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK uponN THE GREAT CRUSADE." Messages of cheer and good luck from Gen. Eisenhower are given to paratroopers just prior to take-off. Paratroopers landed in France five hours before dawn assault by amphibious forces.

Douglas C-47 Of The 1St Air Commando Group On The Line At Tingkawks-Sakan, Burma. 28 January 1945.

Formation of Consolidated B-24 Liberators on way to Braunschweig, Germany.

Lt. Colonel John C. Foster, Co Of The 21St Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron In China, And Major William Nicholls, S-2 (Intelligence) Officer, Check Courses And Mileage For A Mission Deep Into French Indo-China.

This Is A Crew Whose Martin B-26 Marauder Bomber Was Brought Across 60 Miles Of Water On One Engine After An Attack By Me-109S Over Pantelleria. Left To Right, Front: 1St Lt. Morris M. Thompson, 1914 N. Ruby St., Spokane, Wash., Co-Pilot; 1St Lt. Kenneth

View Of Damaged Inflicted On Hamm, Germany By Allied Bombings.

Wewak Airdrome, Northeast...

Nazi lorry receives direct hit from fighter planes of U.S. 8th Air Forces as it passes through a deserted village. GERMANY.

The 817th Aviation Engineers band at Chaouat, Tunisia. July 1943.

T/Sgt. Edward A. Uebel, of 8009 McGee Street, St Louis, Mo., atop the homemade water storage facilities devised by the photo lab men of the Liberators of China. Two airplane tanks serve the purpose. T/Sgt. Uebel has the Silver Star, awarded

Douglas C-47 damaged by ground fire near target area in China. Patches on side of plane are visible.

Three-at-a-time take-offs & landings are a specialty with Lt. Col. Joseph R. Holzapple's 15th AF B-26 group, oldest medium outfit in the theatre. Working without mishaps for more than 20 missions, this tricky flying is not for show. Three abreast

And they do their job. As each of the six planes release their load, the explosions appear in the revetment area and step across the runway where craters from previous raids make the whole thing look like one gigantic pock.

An Enlisted Man Having His Teeth Checked At The Dental Clinic Of The 38Th Bomb Group At 17-Mile Strip, Port Moresby, Papua, New Guinea.

ENGLAND-Testing their oxygen masks by portable tester in their locker room are Lockheed P-38 pilots 1st Lt. Heinz W. Detlefsen of Ames, Iowa and 1st Lt. Gordon L. Doolittle of Portland, Oregon.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,RECREATION War

Douglas C-47S Lined Up On Airstrip At Accra Air Base, Accra, Gold Coast, Africa. May 1943.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Operations War

Battle damaged Boeing B-17...

Atc Personnel Enjoy A Game Of Bowling At Waller Field, Trinidad, British West Indies. April 1943.

S/Sgt. Peter Chomyak, Pittsburgh, Pa., takes a shower under the home made shower after a rugged day on one of the emergency landing strips in France.

A general view of Bell's P-59 jet propelled fighter plane showing armament and air scoops.-ALASKA.

Italy - At A 15Th Af Service Command Salvage Depot A Wing That Has Been Salvaged From A Wrecked Plane Is Lifted By A Hoist From A Stack Of Wings Taht Are To Be Used On Other Planes To Keep Them Flying.

Lt. W.D. Laine returning to his base somewhere in the Aleutian Islands from a successful bombing mission. 4 March 1943.

Area Occupied By Army Airways Communications System On Wideawake Field, Ascension Island. May 1943.

Interrogation Of Lt. Bink'S Crew Of The 385Th Bomb Group, Based In England, After A Mission On 19 August 1943.

The 8Th Af'S 457Th Bombardment Group Celebrates V-E Day At Its Base In England. 11 May 1945.

Inside an American transport are British wounded. They are being taken from the front to first-aid centers.

M/Sgt. George C. Ewald, of Noroflk, Va., Bomerang's crew chief is shown putting the finishing touches on Bomerang's 16th engine change.

Colonel Harris Edward Rogner Talks With Capt. Coomer After Their Return From The Berlin Bombing Mission By The 457Th Bombardment Group Of The 8Th Af On 3 February 1945. England.

Martin B-26 Marauders Parked By The Six-Lane Runway Especially Built For These Bombers At Their Base In Decimo, Italy. August 1944.

Cameramen Were In Full Bloom The Night Of The Paulette Goddard Show For Men Stationed In China And Each Was Trying His Best To Get A Good Shot To Adorn His Barracks Wall. This Was The First Appearance Of A Female Celebrity In China. 1 March 1944.

Devastated marshalling yards at Limburg, Germany, after being bombed by Allied bombers.

Men are seen battling the blaze when wing section of a Curtiss C-46 caught fire on 23 November 1944, at Kunming, China, Air Base.

Boxes of ammunition being parachuted to the ground in China. Parachutes on the ground were dropped by preceding planes.

Combat And Ground Crew Of Boeing B-17 "5 Grand'." Front Row: Pvt. Kelley, Sgt. Ruthart, Sgt. Nagel, Sgt. Meyers, S/Sgt. Nelson, S/Sgt. Santianna, And Sgt. Noolas. Back Row: Cpl Bonds, Lt. Conley, Lt. Carter, Lt. Hansen, Lt. Jones And M/Sgt. Bates.

Lt. Colonel Thomas B. Whitehouse, 29, Of 196 Vassar Street, Rochester, Ny, Deputy Commander Of A Veteran Lockheed P-38 Lightning Fighter Group Of The 15Th Af In Italy, After He Scored His Second Victory, An Fw-190 Over Lubau, Austria.

Waiting For The Flying Fortresses - An 8Th Aaf Bomber Command Station -- Commanding Officers For A "Flying Fortress" Group In England Peer Into The Skies To Count Returning Planes After A Recent Bombing Mission Over Germany. The Officers Are Standing On

Marshalling Yards At Foligno, Italy, Is The Target For Aaf Martin B-26 Marauders As They Continue Their Relentless Attacks On The German Supply Lines And Communications In Central Italy. Shown In This Official Aaf Photograph Is A Bomb Strike In The Strat

Signal Generator. China.

Alert Room At A Caribbean Air Base (L To R): Major J.B. Henry, Jr., Charlotte, Texas (Near San Antonio), Squadron Commander; Captain G.E. Duncan, Houston, Texas; Lt. W.S. Borders, Brownwood, Texas; And Lt. M.C. Addison, Lubbeck, Texas. Fighter Pilots -

Looking south from a point on the south end of the Air Base Area on Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands. Note ammunition cases in the foreground.

The major responsibility for the planning and construction of temporary buildings at an advance air base in the Southwest Pacific, falls on the shoulders of the Aerial Engineers with Lt. Gen. George C. Kenney's Fifth Air Force. Although necessary

Costa Rica, Central America - Camping with hammocks, searchers reported efforts retarded by erratic behavior of magnetic compasses and portable radios.

Los Negros, Admiralty Islands-Six gunners from two 13th AAF Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" of the 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group, shot down over Yap Island in the Caroline Group, pose aboard the submarine that rescued them. Wearing Navy clothes

England Bomb Bay Doors Open On A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

Interested Spectators Sit With The General While He Awaits His Turn At Bat At A Baseball Game In China. Left To Right: Cpl. Lee Gordon, Colonel Zeondioff, Major Shevallier, Major General C.L. Chennault, And Don Barclay.

Crew Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Dixie Demo' That Participated In The Dieppe Raid Of August 19, Leave Their Plane 'Somewhere In Britain'.

Foulkes takes the camera up into the turret to get a shot of the Martin B-26 Marauders in formation ahead of them. "This is what the Tail End Charlie looks at all the time," he said.

Allies smash Japanese convoy. An R.A.A.F. Beaufighter attacks a Japaneseanese ship, scoring direct hits on the vessel.

1St Lt. George Bauer, A Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Pilot Of The 19Th Tactical Air Command, Destroyed This Me-109 Equiped With Belly Tank, During Recent Fighting In The Ardennes Salient. His First Burst Set The Luftwaffe Plane Afire And Knocked Off A Piece

A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress dropping K rations on Hollandia, New Guinea airdrome.

North Africa-Sgt. Flannagan, Sgt. Mann and S/Sgt. Elliott in one stage of erecting their tent home.

RED ARMY MEN LAY STEEL RUNWAY ON U.S. AIRDROMES: Three Russian soldiers among hundreds who worked with Red Army girls and American soldiers to construct U.S. bases in the U.S.S.R. for a physical collarboration of the two nations

"Duffy's Tavern, Where the Elite Meet to Eat" is the name of the snack bar of an enlisted men's Red Cross Club, near an AAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress wing headquarters. Like most projects where GI's are concerned, there's always a line to "sweat

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter-Bombers Of Lt. Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg'S 9Th Af Parked On And Near The Apron Of A Former Luftwaffe Base In Germany, Now Used By The 365Th Fighter-Bomber Group. Service And Maintenance Men Are Working The Planes, Preparin

Aircraft, Burma, India &Aircraft, TAKE-OFF, North American War

A North American P-51, The 'Miss E.T.O.' On An England Airbase.

Changing Motors In Consolidated B-24 Plane At Accra Air Base, Accra, Gold Coast, Africa. June 1943.

Men in chow line on a ship enroute to Port Moresby, Papua, New Guinea.

26 Martin B-26 Marauders Employing Non-Visual Bombing Placed 358X260 Pound Fragmentation Bombs In The Assigned Target Area To Produce The Results Pictured Above. The 'After' Photograph Shows The Camouflaged Alt Dettelsau Ammo Dump. The Second & Third Ph

Living quarters for Air Force personnel at Wadi Seidna South Airfield, Khartoum, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. June 1943.

The Lumber Yard At An American Airbase In Kunming, China Burns Furiously As Men Try To Save Some Of The Lumber.

An 8Th Aaf Bomber Command Station, England -- Shown Conducting Services At An 8Th Aaf "Flying Fortress" Station Is Captain Bertram S. Klausner Of Newark, New Jersey And Tuscaloosa, Ala., Jewish Chaplain In The 8Th Aaf Bomber Command. Attending The Servic

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance,MISCELLANEOUS War

Cpl. Michael Bobby, Detroit, Mich., (foreground) and Cpl. Elvin Beckman, St. Louis, Mo., *(background) autographing Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress "Hell's Angels".

The supply room of the Rescue Control with Sgt. J.R. Cash, Aurora, Ind., behind the bench and T/5 Lloyd Gerrish, Rochester, Mass., and S/Sgt. I.C. Dodson, Ashville, N.C., getting equipment.-NEW GUINEA

Plotting Section Of The 21St Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Based In China, Add Another Mission To The Extensive Coverage On Formosa.

Installations at Gura...

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,PILOT War

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